Zimbabwe's Land Reform

Myths and Realities

Synopsis

Ten years after the land invasions of 2000, this book provides the first full account of the consequences of these dramatic events. This land reform overturned a century-old pattern of land use, one dominated by a small group of large-scale commercial farmers, many of whom were white. But what replaced it? This book presents the story as it has been observed on the ground: warts and all. What comes through very strongly is the complexity, the differences, almost farm by farm: there is no single, simple story of the Zimbabwe land reform as sometimes assumed by press reports, political commentators, or indeed much academic study.

Review

It is a book that every bureaucrat in the region should read. It is a book that demands the attention of everyone who wants to know the 'true,' unfinished story of Zimbabwe's land reform. Fascinating, exhaustive and immensely readable. - Mail & Guardian

Author

Ian Scoones is co-director of the ESRC STEPS Centre at University of Sussex and joint convenor of the Institute Development Studies hosted Future Agricultures Consortium.